Archive for July, 2008

    The Phoenix Desert Vista boys track and field team scored heavily in each of the 10 events that determined the best team in the nation, based on a computer program that tabulates the performances of teams from across the country.  The Thunder racked up 8,430 points in the Nike Web Nationals, 113 more points than last year, to edge out Los Gatos of California for first place.

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Prior to Super Bowl III, New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath made one of the boldest statements in the history of sports when he guaranteed victory against the powerful and heavily-favored Baltimore Colts. Namath and the Jets made good on his claim, however, and defeated the Colts in what many consider to be one of the greatest upsets of all time. Broadway Joe (as Namath was called) certainly wasn’t short on believing in his ability to achieve his goals – and neither should you.

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    Four local players were selected in the latest Major League Baseball draft: Ike Davis, 1B, Chaparral HS; Jaff Decker, OF, Peoria Sunrise HS; Kyle Lobstein, P, Flagstaff Coconino HS; and Ryan Perry, Marana HS.  But the Arizona Republic also points out in a recent article that there are more Arizona athletes currently playing for major league teams - enough to fill a starting line-up.

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Many athletes spend countless hours of practice in an attempt to get better at their sport.  Shooting numerous free throws, hitting buckets of golf balls, spending handfuls of quarters at the pitching machine are all ways in which athletes attempt to fine-tune their sports skill.  Many athletes even recognize the necessity of “outside” training to improve their speed, reactive ability, and/or strength.  However, many people don’t realize that running, jumping, being explosive or powerful are all skills, just like shooting a basketball, and must be constantly trained to both maintain and improve them.

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 This time around, I'm reviewing Wii Sports, for the Nintendo Wii. This is the game that came packaged with the console itself, for free. Because it was free, this review is going to be fairly lenient. For many, this is the first experience with the Wii, which makes an important first impression.  For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the Wii, the controller is simplified and has various motion sensors on it, allowing its movement to be tracked in three dimensions.  The graphic capabilities aren't on par with the PS3 and Xbox360, but the Wii is considerably more powerful than Gamecube.

           

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Core Training (Part 1):  A 6-Pack of Functional Strength 

Having ripped-up six-pack abs should not only be for show, but also functional to perform in sports.  Core training is not only focused on the abs, but it’s the complete area surrounding the abs, obliques, lower back, hips and glutes.  It is this region that will transfer power from the legs to the upper body in order to generate the appropriate power to perform that homerun swing or allow you to drive through your opponent when running through the crowd into the end zone.  The core will also help minimize lower back injuries by stabilizing the spine and creating a natural internal brace.

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